Canada PM calls snap elections amid Trump's trade war escalation

Ottawa: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election as his country faces US President Donald Trump's onslaught, which has helped the ruling Liberal Party recover dramatically in polls.

Carney has set April 28 as the date for the federal election that could impact Ottawa's policies, both domestically and internationally, not only with the US but also with India, whose ties were damaged during former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's tenure.

Polls indicate that the New Democratic Party (NDP)'s influence, which impacted Trudeau's policy towards India and favoured Khalistanis, will drastically decline after the election.

"We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty." Carney said, framing it as a referendum on how best to deal with the US.

"President Trump claims that Canada isn't a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen," he said.

The former banker without political experience will face Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.

The Conservative Party was leading in polls back in January, but in an unexpected turn of events, Trump's actions inadvertently boosted the Liberal Party's fortunes. Trump, who denigrated Trudeau as a "governor" and imposed 25 per cent tariffs, ended up helping the Liberal Party close the gap with the Conservative Party. As of the latest polls, the Liberal Party is now running neck-and-neck with the Conservative Party.

Tongue in cheek, Trump said, "I got involved and totally changed the election."

The Canada Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) Poll Tracker projects Carney's Liberals winning 174 seats, up from 152, in the 343-member House of Commons, giving it a majority by itself.

The tracker gives the Liberal Party a 60 per cent chance of forming government by itself.

In that scenario, it would no longer have to rely on the support of the Jagmeet Singh-led NDP.

The Canadian political landscape has undergone a shift since Justin Trudeau's resignation announcement on January 6. Initially, the Conservative Party held a substantial 24% lead over the Liberal Party, with 44.2% to 20.1% support. However, as Trump's pressure on Canada intensified, demanding it become a US state and launching a trade war, Canadian opinion began to swing in favour of the Liberals.

The Liberals now hold a narrow lead with 37.5% projected support, closely followed by the Conservatives at 37.1%. Meanwhile, the NDP has suffered a drastic decline, plummeting from 19.3% in January to 11.6% currently.

Poilievre is seen as ideologically close to Trump, raising questions about his ability to manage the confrontation with the US, the focus of the election moving from inflation and domestic issues to what could be an existential struggle for survival as an independent nation.

Pierre Poilievre's "Canada First" agenda aims to strengthen Canada's independence and ability to stand up to the US.

In contrast, Mark Carney brings financial expertise, having led Britain and Canada's central banks. He's shifting the Liberal Party to a more centrist position, scrapping planned tax increases and ending some carbon emission taxes.

Poilievre's agenda calls for more deregulation and greater exploitation of natural resources and tax cuts while criticising "wokeness" and recognising two genders.

(inputs from IANS)